"I tried to warn you, master Kint." The acolyte lamented, turning down a well lit hall. "I told you not to pursue this too far."

The man led the way with solemn steps.

He sighed..

"I said there would be consequences. I made that very clear."

Kint's blood vessels constricted, anxiety flushing his system. He could feel his pulse through his ears.

He glanced at Elsha. She wasn't faring any better. Her eyes were big as saucers. Unblinking.

They shared a look.

This was it…

The reckoning.

For all his plans and politics, this moment had come upon them like a shadow. It was inevitable. Connected to him since the second he’d made his decision in the mortuary. He’d thought they’d have another day before repercussions hit, but their antics in the Arena had accelerated things.

His throat was dry, arms heavy. Sweat dripped from his wrinkled brow.

They arrived at the main stairwell, quietly climbing three flights to the Law Enforcement Division.

Double doors opened, red orange light filtering through the windows as they marched between rows of desks toward the Mayor's office.

Sh’Geel stopped in front of the door, putting a hand on the Senior Inspectors chest to stop him.

"I've done what I can for you." He whispered, eyes locked on Kint’s own.

"Endure it."

The Acolyte grabbed the handle with his massive hand, pulling the door open.

Lord Crecius sat in Fezzeline's heavy leather chair behind the thick oaken desk.

Red sun beamed against his face, profile cast in shadow. Acolyte Savillette stood behind him like a carrion bird, observing their arrival behind deep set eyes.

"Fezzy?" Elsha frowned, staring at the corner of the room.

Kint followed her gaze to find the Mayor’s bulbous figure seated on a small chair in the corner of the room.

The man’s face was beet red, eyes bulging. His breathing was labored, body covered in sweat.

"Don't worry about him. He's proving a point." Crecius commanded, gesturing to their chairs. "Sit down."

They sat, quiet.

Sweat dripped, stinging Kint's eyes. He wanted to wipe it away but was afraid to make any unsanctioned moves.

The Large Acolyte's words rang in his ears.

Endure it.

Did that mean there was a way out of this?

As in their previous meeting, Crecius did not look at them.

The only sound in the room was the scratching of his pen, and Mayor Fezzeline's labored breathing.

Elsha's eyes shifted anxiously, glancing his way. She bit her lip.

He tried to reassure her with his expression, no doubt he was failing.

"Crecius Ple--" Elsha stammered.

"Nothing from you, Whore." The Lord spat.

She flinched, words shoved back into her mouth by the Lord's malice.

"You will speak when I deem it necessary." He explained, eyes burrowing into them. "And you will address me as Lord Crecius."

She nodded, but there was a note of defiance in the set of her jaw.

"Oh..."

The Lord cocked his head.

"You think I can't hurt you because you’re a Gray?"

He chuckled, greasy hair flopping against his forehead.

"Sweetheart. The only thing special about you, is that hole between your legs…”

He gestured to her waist.

“Your father told me that."

Elsha's neck tightened, veins thumping. Blood dripped from her lip as she bit it.

Anger and hurt warred on her face.

She remained still, however. Mouth shut.

"Now, Inspector Kint here." Crecius shifted his gaze. "He's special."

Kint’s pulse accelerated, sweat dripping from his chin as he withered under the lord's heavy gaze.

"I don't often say this." The Lord began, "But you, Master Kint, are a mystery."

The Lord stood, coming around the desk to face him.

"A man with no past."

Kint's breath quickened, the pressure mounting.

"We've worked like Dowsers to figure you out." The man admitted, leaning in. "But, no one seems to know who you are."

Kint's throat tightened. His hands shook as he loosened his tie.

The Lord raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it.

"So... since we know nothing about you." The Lord sighed, leaning back against the desk. "I thought I'd tell you a bit about myself."

Kint coughed, clearing his throat. His chest felt tight.

"I grew up in the homeland. On my Uncle's Woodland estate." The Lord began. "My Uncle believed that having his sons and daughters grow up around their cousins, would foster strong family bonds."

Kint could no longer breathe through his nose, taking deep gulps of air through his mouth.

The Lord stared at him, unmoved.

"He also believed in the power of competition… and struggle."

Crecius balled his ink blotted fists.

"So every month, he would test us with all sorts of trials. He tried everything from riddles, to puzzles, to card games, but by far and away feats of strength and endurance were his favorites."

The Lord grimaced at the memory.

"As you can imagine, I wasn't very successful."

Kint gasped, struggling to get air into his compressed lungs. He was feeling light headed.

The lord grinned.

"But one time, when I was sixteen, Uncle Alfain declared that we would be climbing Mount Corbold for the test."

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Kint coughed again. He couldn't feel anything in his throat or chest. No air, no oxygen, just the mountainous weight of nothing.

"This was a challenge I could win." Crecius continued, enthusiastic. "I had spent thousands of hours exploring those mountains. Though I had never seen the top, I knew every shortcut on the way up."

Kint blinked tears from his vision, sweat stinging his bulging eyes. His vision was coming in and out of focus.

"Not wanting one to miss an opportunity, I began to climb. I climbed as fast as I could. I climbed, and on the way up, I used every bit of wit I had at my disposal to lead my cousins astray." He paused, frowning.

"But the air was thin."

His gaze flattened.

Kint's throat felt raw. Every pull of air was a war. He was rasping like Fezzeline.

He could feel his blood vessels strained to bursting, begging for sustenance.

The Lord cocked his head, observing his pain closely.

"Like I said, I wasn't the best athlete." He admitted, "The closer I got to the summit, the more difficult the journey became."

Kint shuddered, gripping hard to the arms of the chair.

"I struggled, and I huffed. My hands were bloody and my lungs were burning. But I kept on." The Lord recalled, "And just when I felt my legs would give out. I reached the summit."

Kint was choking, heart racing faster than it ever had before.

"But I was not the first to arrive." He sighed, "My cousin Ally was already there. Sitting serene, not a scratch on her. She watched as I struggled, trying to stay upright. She observed, much like I'm observing you now, Inspector."

Kints chest rose and fell like a sick dog. His eyes bulged, face full of blood.

"She approached me, as I fought for breath. And do you know what she said to me?"

Kint’s vision was darkening, the pain in his chest was massive.

Crecius leaned close. "She said, 'You don't belong here, little cousin. The air is too thin.', and then, without a second thought, she kicked me off the mountain top."

"Lord, Pleas--" Elsha begged.

"Silence!" The Lord snapped.

Sh'Geel stepped forward, pressing Elsha back into her seat by the shoulders.

The Lord stared at her, voice cool as rain water.

"I am proving a point."

Kint's lungs were like raisins. His mouth opened like a fish out of water, he clawed at his shirt, undoing the buttons. His ears were ringing, vision blurring. Breathing was a fool's hope now, still he grasped for every drop of oxygen.

Elsha glanced from Kint, to the Lord. Face filled with concern for her friend and hatred for the Lord.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gripped the arms of her chair like a vice. The Lord stared, face emotionless as Kint gasped beside them.

His eyes were like apathetic mirrors.

Eventually, Elsha dropped her head, releasing her anger, her defiance.

The Lord smiled.

Kint breathed, lungs filling with air.

He drank it in.

Each gasp bringing him back from the brink.

Once Kint was back to full consciousness, with all his faculties mostly in place, the Lord spoke to them again.

"Your investigation is over, Inspectors."

He reached a hand out toward Kint.

"Consider the Seal completed."

Kint did not argue, moving quickly to place the Sigil in the Lord’s hand.

Crecius examined it, shaking his head.

"Take heed, Inspector." He whispered, "In games of power, there are only three moves."

He stepped close.

"You can stay where you are. You can climb... Or you can fall."

His eyes were devoid of passion.

"It would seem the air is too thin for you, Master Kint... You’d best step carefully going forward..."

Kint kept his eyes low. Submissive.

"Yes. My Lord." He croaked, throat raw.

The Lord observed him, analyzing his reaction.

Eventually he nodded, moving to sit in Fezzeline’s chair. Then he paused, stepping back in front of Kint.

"If you step out of line again... not only will I kill you. But you're daughter..."

He clicked his tongue.

"By the time I'm done with her, she won’t be human."

Kint clenched his teeth, a bit of heat rising to his cheeks. He kept his head bowed low so the Lord couldn’t see it.

“Go.” The Lord commanded.

They didn’t hesitate, scurrying toward the door like beaten dogs.

----------------------------------------

It had been several minutes since the two Inspectors had left his sight, thoroughly chastened.

Crecius grimaced as the grotesque figure of mayor Fezzeline limped out of the room in a similarly sober state.

He was a hard man to look at, but his political acumen was greater than most. It made him a good pick for mayor, at least at the time.

But now… A change was in the offing to be sure.

The Lord took a deep breath, rubbing the stress from his temples.

“Sh'Geel…” He said, glancing up at the giant of a man. “You’d better be right about this.”

“I am, Sir.” The man said, confident. “They’ve some use left in them. I’ll stake my reputation on it.”

“You’ll lose far more than that if you’re wrong.” The Lord muttered, raising an eyebrow.

The Acolyte nodded, understanding.

This was the first time the towering man had staked out an awkward position on something. The first risk he’d taken. The Acolyte was usually so diligent, only commenting when the evidence was there to support him. Now he was out on a limb for these two Inspectors.

Crecius shrugged.

In his mind, everyone in his employ deserved one big risk, a chance to rise or fall behind the winds of a single decision.

If they succeeded, the rewards were great for him and the Acolyte alike, but if they failed… well, they’d certainly never forget it.

There was much to be learned about the intimidating man either way.

Crecius faced the window, red sun burning to a sliver at the horizon.

He wasn’t quite sure if he would have killed the Inspectors, even without Sh’Geels vouching for them. At least not yet. There was too much going on, and they were so public now… Killing his Black Seal missionaries would draw unwanted attention to his other activities.

Best to wait till after Duchess Ally was gone. There’d be plenty of time to mete out punishments then.

And ohhh how much punishment there was to mete.

----------------------------------------

The two Inspectors sat on a bench outside Kint's home.

Elsha had walked with him out of an abundance of caution.

The Shroud flowed around them like a veil, Elsha's cigarette burning like a firefly in the night.

"Are you alright?" She asked, after an extended silence.

Kint took a deep breath of blessed air.

"Yeah." He nodded, "I don't know what happened in there, but I'm fine now."

"He removed the Oxygen from the air around you." She supplied, blowing smoke through her nose.

"I've never seen it done before. It takes incredible skill."

Kint shook his head.

“So much for Crecius being a pushover."

"I don't think I ever said that." Elsha snorted.

"Near enough." Kint replied.

Their usual banter could not overcome the trauma of what they’d just experienced. It was too soon.

Silence fell again.

Kint pulled smoke through his pipe, trying to enjoy the head rush. Unfortunately, all it did was dull his senses, and make him slightly nauseous.

"Crecius was wrong, you know." Kint said, glancing at Elsha. "You are special."

She met his gaze, expectant.

He let the tension build.

"You’re the only partner I’ve ever had named Elsha."

She stared at him for several moments, blinking in pure astonishment.

Then she punched him in the shoulder, hard.

"Kint.” She smiled, rolling her eyes. “You’re the absolute worst, you know that.”

“I know.” He laughed.

His partner did not notice the subtle sadness in his voice.

She continued laughing, voice carrying into the stillness of the night.

Elsha sighed, ashing her cigarette.

She stood.

"I’d best be getting back to the canopy."

She turned to face him.

Kint grimaced, meeting her eyes.

"I'm sure she's fine, but..." Kint started, "Check on Nessa for me, will you?"

"Of course." Elsha soothed.

She observed him for a long moment.

"We're done here. Right, Kint?” She asked, concerned. “This thing we did... it's over?"

He gave her a wan smile.

"Yes, we’re done." He replied, solemn.

Again she paused, analyzing his face.

“You’re not going to the Factory, right?”

He frowned, shaking his head.

“No, I’m not going back there… it’s over Elsha.”

She narrowed her eyes, weighing his response, then nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kint."

She hesitated, eyes full of meaning.

“Be careful.”

He cocked his head, nervous.

“What do you mean?”

“In your dreams.” She grinned, but there was a tension there. “Watch out for the man with the red eyes.”

“I will.” He smiled back, instilling as much confidence as he could. It wasn’t much.

Kint watched her leave, letting his pipe go out as she disappeared into the fog.

He tapped the dottle to the ground, placing the vessel in his pocket.

The Inspector stood, staring at the veiled outline of his empty home.

There was no solace there. No warmth.

He turned, walking down the street, away from the lonely home. The mist tickled his face as he moved through it.

A frown appeared on his age worn face, rage burning against his face.

It was not over. Not even close.

The Lord had pushed too far, he’d said too much.

As his cloaked figure moved through Shrouded streets, a small smile split the Inspectors lips.

Kint would beat him.

Whatever it took.

He would see Lord Crecius brought low.